The Dutch air force says two of its F-16 jet fighters tried to help police chase a criminal suspect.

Spokesman Olav Spanjer says the jets were about to leave Volkel airbase on a training mission Thursday evening when they heard local police had requested a military jeep to chase a suspect over soggy terrain.

The pilots volunteered to help search using their infrared cameras.

Spanjer conceded Friday, "It was kind of a long-shot."

The suspect was in a car with stolen license plates that sped away when police tried to pull it over. After an exchange of gunfire, the car crashed into a canal and the man ran away across a field.

In the end, a tip from a suspicious neighbor, and not a high-tech jet, led police to the suspect.